Origins & Early Life

Paul Belville Taylor Jr. (July 29, 1930 – August 29, 2018) was an American dancer and choreographer. He was one of the last living members of the third generation of America's modern dance artists. He founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954 in New York City.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Taylor was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, to Paul Belville Taylor Sr., a physicist, and to the former Elizabeth Rust Pendleton. He grew up in and around Washington, DC. By his teens, he had grown to more than six feet in height. Taylor attended Virginia Episcopal School. He was a student of painting and swam and competed on the swim team, for which he was the recipient of a swimming scholarship, at Syracuse University in the late 1940s.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Upon discovering dance through books at the school library, Taylor created his first piece of choreography on Syracuse University Dance department students, which was entitled Hobo Ballet. Taylor then transferred to Juilliard, where he earned a B.S. degree in dance in 1953 under director Martha Hill. It is Taylor's dedication to swimming and other widely varied experiences that has been said to have taught him the commitment imperative to a successful dance...

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